Contents

History

We're mutants. Born different from baseline humanity, with an enhanced genome that gives us super-powers. You piss us off at your peril.

--Shadowcat

The doubt about Kitty's origin

A Neo?

According to a hologram, of questionable integrity, witnessed by Wolverine, the baby named Katherine Pryde was replaced in her nursery by a Neo, consequently making the Kitty Pryde we know a Neo. Wolverine decided to take this hologram as false information created to disturb the X-Men confidence.[11]

Early Years

Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde was leading the normal life of an extremely gifted thirteen year old girl in Deerfield, Illinois when she began suffering increasingly intense headaches. The headaches were a result of Kitty's mutant power emerging. Kitty possesses the ability to pass through solid matter.

Visiting a local malt shop with some of the X-Men, Kitty and Storm began what would evolve into a close friendship. Suddenly, three Hellfire Knights burst into the shop in an attack led by the White Queen. The X-Men were overcome and taken as prisoners. Unwilling to abandon Storm and the others, Kitty hid aboard the Hellfire Club's hovercraft and found the captive X-Men in the Frost International complex where the White Queen was holding them. Storm gave Kitty the X-Men's phone number and asked her to summon help. Phoenix, Cyclops and Nightcrawler arrived in response of the message just in time to save her from Hellfire Club mercenaries. Phoenix comforted the frightened Kitty. Pryde then helped the X-Men in rescuing their captive colleagues.

Afterwards, Kitty's father was furious at Xavier for the danger he believed he had placed his daughter in. Phoenix invasively used her mental powers to calm Carmen Pryde's rage.

X-Men

Kitty's parents allowed her to join Prof. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. She became the newest member of the X-Men. Kitty spent a great deal of time training. During her first training session in the Danger Room, Kitty easily walked through a scenario that took Professor Xavier weeks to program. Ororo Munroe christened Kitty with her first code name, Sprite, and took her to dancing lessons at Stevie Hunter’s studio. Kitty quickly developed a crush on Colossus, but was uncomfortable around the demon-like Nightcrawler.

Kitty meets Stevie Hunter

Thirty years ahead in a possible future, Rachel Summers used her psionic powers to exchange the consciousness and spirit of the adult X-Man Kate Pryde with that of Pryde's teenage self.
It was hoped that the adult Kate, in her younger self's body at that earlier time, could warn the X-Men about the assassination attempt on Senator Robert Kelly's life by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants so they could stop it, thereby preventing the chain of events that led to her dystopian future from occurring. After the X-Men saved Senator Kelly, Kate Pryde's consciousness left Kitty's body and returned to her own time, only to find her timeline had not changed. She had only created an alternate timeline.

Many adventures soon followed. On Christmas Eve, Kitty destroyed a N'Garai demon by herself when she was left alone in the mansion. Later, Kitty was almost kidnapped by deformed mutant Caliban. Caliban, who only sought friendship, return to his underground home. Later, after Kitty stowed away on an X-Men mission, Kitty was nearly killed by Magneto. This act made Magneto finally come to realize that he was becoming no better than the Nazis who had murdered his family.

Emma Frost telepathically influenced Kitty's parents into transferring her to her Massachusetts Academy. Frost switched bodies with Storm. After Kitty and Ororo (in Emma’s body) freed the X-Men, Kitty returned to Xavier's.

Illyana Rasputin, Colossus' six year old sister, was kidnapped by Belasco and the X-Men followed to Limbo, where Kitty was harassed by an alternate version of Nightcrawler, and they rescued her. While returning to their dimension, Belasco grabbed Illyana and Kitty held her arm. Kitty lost her grip for a few seconds and reached back in the portal, until she felt an arm and pulled out Illyana. Due to her captivity in Limbo, where she spent years while only mere moments elapsed on Earth, Illyana returned to them thirteen. Kitty and Illyana became very close and seemed to share a link, with Illyana even joining Kitty in Stevie's dance studio and becoming roommates.

When the alien Brood implanted embryos in all of the X-Men, Kitty met the small, alien, dragon-like creature Lockheed. While the X-Men were in space, Xavier formed a new team of mutants, the New Mutants, most of whose members were closer to Kitty in age than the other X-Men were.This time, he would only train them in the use of their special powers, and not send them out into combat. Xavier infuriated Kitty by terminating her X-Men status and moving her to the New Mutants, who she called the "X-Babies".

Professor Xavier is a jerk!

Peter and Kitty became close, though at the time, both were too shy to fully admit their feelings for each other. However, after surviving the threat by the alien Brood, Kitty and Peter grew closer and started to date. One problem in their relationship was that Kitty was a devout Jew and Colossus was raised as an atheist. Kitty began to grow angry at her parents' divorce.

As the X-Men confronted Dracula over Storm, Kitty was temporarily possessed by Lilith and bit Piotr (Peter) Rasputin. Together, Kitty and Piotr attacked Storm, as she was commanded to steal the Montesi Formula for Dracula. While the X-Men battled Dracula, Kitty began to recite the Montesi Formula, but was stopped. Dracula was defeated and Lilith released Kitty, thanking the X-Men for their assistance.

Xavier relented and retained Kitty in the X-Men after Kitty impressed him by defeating two Sidri with the help of Lockheed, who had followed her back to earth. Lockheed became Kitty's constant companion.

The X-Men encountered the underground community of mutants known as the Morlocks, who had kidnapped one of their former members, Angel. After Piotr's life was in danger, Kitty promised Caliban of the Morlocks her hand in marriage, while deathly sick from Plague, in exchange for aid in saving Peter and the X-Men's life, but Sprite did not keep her promise and returned to the X-Men. Kitty abandoned her code-name, Sprite, for the Professor's original choice, Ariel.

Using "Ariel" codename during a training session

While battling the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Colossus was frozen in liquid nitrogen. While attempting to save Colossus, Kitty was kidnapped by Callisto, who intended for her to keep her word and marry Caliban, but Caliban released her from her vow, hoping she would one day return to him of her free will, and Colossus was saved by the combined efforts of Rogue and the Morlock, Healer.

Kitty began spending time with her friend, Doug Ramsey, another computer genius, and together, they hacked Project Wideawake files. Soon after this, even though Kitty had acted out of love to save him, Piotr started to question the time she was spending with Doug, which even led to Kitty missing scheduled Danger Room sessions. Doug later asked Kitty to accompany him to the Massachusetts Academy, where he had received a scholarship. Believing Emma to be in a coma, Kitty went and they were both captured by the White Queen. After the New Mutants rescued them and because of his relationship with Zsaji, Colossus broke up with Kitty.

Possessed by Ogun

Kitty grew close to the X-Man Wolverine, who became a mentor to her. Kitty found that her father was dealing with Japanese gangsters. She followed him to Japan and Kitty was captured and put under the mental control of Ogun, the ninja master who had once been Wolverine's teacher but had since become his enemy. Ogun mentally had Kitty believe that she was his daughter and had been training in the art of ninjitsu since birth. Ogun also cut her hair shorter. Being the only X-Man to receive her call for help, Wolverine soon followed. Kitty was sent to kill Wolverine and injured him greatly, but with help from Yukio, she was restored. Wolverine undertook a crash program to teach Kitty's body, just as Ogun had taught her mind, to become skillful enough in the Japanese martial arts to contend against Ogun. Constantly telling her that she can either train or leave, Kitty eventually realized that Wolverine was giving her a choice that Ogun denied her and she slowly began to grow out of her childish, spoiled ways. At the end of her training, Kitty assumed the new code name Shadowcat, which she still uses today. Kitty went to face Ogun herself. After being defeated by Ogun, he offered her to join him or die. At that time, Wolverine came to her rescue. Sadly, Wolverine was also overwhelmed and the two of them sat helplessly at Ogun's mercy. In a turn of events, Kitty informed Wolverine that she was scared until he arrived. When he apologized, she stated that she did not want an apology, but life. At that moment, Wolverine turned the battle and defeated Ogun. Kitty regained her innocence that Ogun had taken.[12] Kitty returned and made another costume change.

Shadowcat

Kitty went on to rescue the Power Pack from the Morlocks and battled the Beyonder, who briefly transferred Illyana's powers to Kitty.

Kitty and Piotr agreed to be friends after surviving together in Murderworld. Kitty then battled the Gladiators to rescue Sunspot and Magma from their old teammate, Karma. While fighting the Gladiators, the Beyonder brought-out Illyana's dark half, the Darkchylde. She teleported her friends to Limbo and attacked them, until Kitty used Illyana's Soulsword on her and returned her to her natural form. After Kitty and Piotr returned from Murderworld, Kitty and Doug created a program that would alter the Murderworld computers.

Kitty visited the National Holocaust Memorial with Magneto, new member of the X-Men per Prof. Xavier's request, and Kitty was amazed to learn that Magneto knew her grandaunt and that he was a hero in the death camp of Auschwitz before they were attacked by the Freedom Force. At this time, the Beyonder brought a young mutant named Boom-Boom to the mansion and the X-Men and New Mutants instinctively attacked them. After having nightmares of Illyana being in trouble from Karnilla, the Norn Queen, the X-Men later traveled to Asgard to rescue Storm and the New Mutants from one of Loki's schemes, then battled Fenris, and later, the Beyonder again. Later, Phoenix decided to simply destroy the entire universe and have it all start over without the Beyonder. Phoenix stole the life force of the X-Men and Starjammers, but Storm's soul convinced her otherwise. After hearing the thoughts of every living being in existence, Phoenix returned the X-Men and Starjammers to life.

While the X-Men rebuilt San Francisco from the battle with the Beyonder, he wiped the New Mutants out of existence and Illyana's Soulsword and armor were passed to Kitty. No one knew of the New Mutants' existence until he brought them back. At this time, the X-Men stayed with Jessica Drew and Kitty accompanied David Ishima to a date. Upon their return, the X-Men were beaten by Freedom Force and about to be taken-in, until the intervention of Officer Bree Morrell. The X-Men then returned to New York. While the X-Men searched for a severely wounded Phoenix after Wolverine had stabbed her in the chest, they were attacked by Nimrod and formed an alliance with the Hellfire Club. Later, Kitty re-calibrated Cerebro, for non telepaths to use, to search for Nightcrawler and Phoenix. Kitty, Piotr, and Magik rescued a weakened Nightcrawler from a gang. After being turned to X-Babies by Mojo, the X-Men battled the New Mutants until they were broken of their brainwashing and defeated the spineless one, Mojo.

The X-Men attempted to rescue the Morlocks during the indiscriminate massacre by the Marauders and the Marauder, called Harpoon, seriously injured the phased Shadowcat with his energy spear, as she leaped between him and Rogue. It also adversely affected Kitty's powers so that she could no longer regain her solidity and gradually began to dissipate. Kitty was sent to recover on Muir Island.

Kitty's condition began to worsen and she was in danger of completely dissipating. Unwilling to watch her die, Magneto went to Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) of the Fantastic Four to use a device that Mr. Fantastic had built. Unsure of the outcome, Mr. Fantastic refused to help Kitty, even after the X-Men begged him, and the X-Men and Fantastic Four briefly battled. At that time, Dr. Doom presented his assistance and, under duress, Storm accepted. While having Psylocke mentally keep her mind together, Mr. Fantastic reconsidered and traveled to Latveria, where the X-Men initially battled the Fantastic Four again. At the urging of Franklin Richards, Kitty was cured by the combined efforts of Dr. Doom and Mr Fantastic and through intense concentration, Kitty was able to remain solid.

Excalibur

While recovering on Muir Island, Kitty witnessed what seemed to be the X-Men sacrificing themselves on television, in Dallas, Texas. Kitty was later visited by Illyana, who was hysterically blaming Forge for her brother and the X-Men's death and asking Kitty to aid her in killing him. Illyana left furious after Kitty declined to help her.

After having the same continuous dream, Kitty and Nightcrawler summarized that Rachel might have been trying to telepathically reach them. After being attacked by Gatecrasher and the Technet, who were hired by Saturnyne to eliminate Phoenix, Kitty and Meggan Puceanu were captured. After arriving in London and being reunited with Rachel, the combined efforts of Kitty, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Meggan, and Captain Britain resulted in their escape and the defeat of the Technet and the Warwolves, who were sent from Mojo to bring back Rachel. At the urging of Rachel to continue Professor Xavier's dream, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler became founding members of the British-based team Excalibur.

After rescuing hostages in a nightclub, Kitty created a Doppelganger Module to draw-out the remaining Warwolves, by impersonating Rachel. Kitty's plan worked better than she thought and she was captured by the Warwolves. After Kitty was skinned by a Warwolf, Phoenix felt her pain and held her consciousness together, while tracking her to the Warwolves' hide-out. Excalibur rescued Shadowcat, who's intangibility saved her life, and placed the Warwolves on display at the zoo.

Kitty and Lockheed as members of Excalibur

After battling the Juggernaut and a group of escaped prisoners, the team addressed Captain Britain's drinking problems, while moving into their new headquarters, Captain Britain's Braddock Lighthouse. Following a trail of counterfeit money, Excalibur traveled to Murderwold and battled the Crazy Gang, to rescue Captain Britain's ex girlfriend, Courtney Ross. While battling the Crazy Gang, Excalibur's bodies were switched with members of the Crazy Gang, except Kitty who stayed hidden. After Kitty entered the virus that she and Doug created into the Murderworld computers and sent Arcade into Murderworld, Courtney restored everyone to their respective bodies, except Rachel, who was possessed. Kitty had to phase in order for Rachel's telepathy to reassert her control. Following Rachel, who sensed her infant brother's telepathic distress, Excalibur traveled to the Empire State Building and battled demons, where Meggan was brought under the demonic influence of the demon, N'Astirh, and became the Goblin Princess. Kitty and Captain Britain were transformed into movie characters and Captain Britain attempted to kill Kitty, as Fast Buck and then a Nightmare on Elm St. look-alike. At this time, Illyana's eldrich armor and Soulsword covered Kitty and she brought Cap out of his illusion and brought Meggan out of her enchantment, as well.

After the demonic invasion, Kitty returned to the School for Gifted Youngsters to get her old things and was shocked to see it had been destroyed. The New Mutants were also at the site and Kitty began to argue with them, until a newly returned to childhood Illyana yelled at her and Mirage used her power to manifest Doug and the teenage Illyana. Kitty realized her immaturity and apologized to the New Mutants and asked Mirage to "let them go". After briefly returning to the School for Gifted Youngsters, Excalibur returned home to rescue W.H.O. from the Lightning Force, alternate reality versions of themselves, where Kitty met Widget and, completely out of fear, disrupted her circuitry. Through their actions battling the Lightning Force, Excalibur was able to return Dr. Moira MacTaggert and Kitty took Widget home with her. Upon returning to the Lighthouse, Kitty and Rachel found that the Soulsword appeared, embedded in bedrock. Despite using the full extent of power permitted by the Phoenix Force, Rachel was unable to remove the sword, which she surmised only Kitty could remove.

At this time, a competition grew between Kitty and Rachel over the affections of W.H.O. member Alistaire Stuart. Stuart ignored the smitten Shadowcat while he found himself attracted to Rachel. While attempting to activate Widget, Kitty briefly stood before a group of aliens in a giant hall, including hairy Excalibur counterparts, until she was returned to her reality and Widget began to eat small, metal objects. After returning to the exchange of Dr. MacTaggert and the Highland Flyer crew with the Lightning Force Reichsrail Train, Reichsminister MacTaggart threw a nuclear grenade and Widget teleported Excalibur and Alistaire into another dimension.

Kitty was deeply affected by Illyana's death from the Legacy Virus. Kitty eventually became romantically involved with her teammate Peter Wisdom. Later, G. W. Bridge, the acting commander of the international law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D., recruited Kitty Pryde to become a temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Bridge explained that the computer system of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying headquarters, the helicarrier, was failing to recognize any user but her. Pryde soon learned that this was because the spirit of the late Ogun had taken control of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier's computer system. Pryde succeeded in defeating Ogun and, with Wolverine's aid, S.H.I.E.L.D. regained control of the helicarrier computers.

Shadowcat has subsequently returned to Excalibur, where she has continued to be a valued member of the team. When Excalibur disbanded, Shadowcat returned to the United States and the X-Men. Following the tragic death of Colossus, and too many loved ones before him, Kitty left the team to find a new way to help realize Xavier's dream of peaceful coexistence between man and mutant. That road led her to a life away from the front lines of genetic conflict at Robert Heinlein University, where she would be free to pursue her own destiny.

Life away from the X-Men only lasted so long. While studying computer science, her father died in the Sentinel attack on Genosha. Attacking another who was spouting anti-mutant sentiments, she was placed in therapy. Soon after, the Purity anti-mutant group attempted sabotage on-campus, and evolving Sentinels attacked. Kitty defeated both threats with the help of Karma and Shola Inkose.

Kitty then became involved with Storm's X-Men squad, once again facing William Stryker. Storm then requested her help in fighting Elias Bogan and his mysterious telepath who ended up being Kitty's lost friend Rachel Summers.

Astonishing X-Men

Shortly thereafter, Scott Summers and Emma Frost took over the Xavier Institute. Kitty accepted a spot on Cyclops' squad, while also teaching at the school. She was reluctant, as her dealings with Ms. Frost in the past were anything but friendly. Yet, in their investigation of a claimed cure for mutants, Shadowcat discovered the very much alive Colossus being used as a test subject. After a bit of initial awkwardness, Kitty and Peter resumed dating and finally consummated their relationship.[13]

Mental projections created by a piece of Cassandra Nova's consciousness which had been lodged in Emma's mind utilized Emma's telepathy to orchestrate Nova's escape from the Stuff body. Kitty personally took down Frost and imprisoned her, only to fall under a telepathic delusion. Under this delusion, Kitty was made to believe that she and Colossus had conceived a child which was later taken away by the X-Men because its potential mutant abilities were supposedly dangerous. Kitty reacted in the delusion by attempting to rescue the child from a near-inescapable "box" in the depths of the school, unaware that in reality she was freeing Stuff, who contained the trapped consciousness of Cassandra Nova. Kitty collapsed immediately afterward, driven to unconsciousness after Nova tried to transfer her mind into Kitty's body from Emma's body.

Colossus and Shadowcat

Later, Kitty was with a group of X-Men taken to the planet Breakworld by Abigail Brand of S.W.O.R.D. Kitty was phased into an enormous bullet that was launched toward earth by the inhabitants of Breakworld. In a heroic gesture, Kitty phased the entire bullet through the planet and out the other side. She may have been permanently fused to the bullet and was presumed dead.

S.W.O.R.D. managed to keep track of the giant bullet using a satellite which fell into the bullet's orbit. Because the bullet's design was to harden as time went on, it became increasingly difficult to break the bullet open. When some asteroid travelers wandered into the bullet's path it looked like the bullet was going to destroy the thousands of lifeforms on the asteroids, but the bullet phased through them - revealing Kitty to be alive.

Return to Earth

A few months after that, Magneto went to the top of Mount Tamalpais and used his powers to bring her back to Earth, but was nearly killed by that act. When Kitty Pryde was about to hug Colossus, she phased through him and couldn't talk. She was placed in a containment unit to ensure that she could be restored to her state prior to when she was taken to Breakworld. Kitty had no hair or nail growth, and had not slept, gone to the bathroom, eaten, or drank while she was in the bullet. She was also being visited by Colossus.

Colossus asked Emma to help them contact telepathically, but she refused. Kitty then got angry, blaming the fact that she was like this on Emma herself. She then accepted. Kitty told Colossus that she loved him. Kitty figured out that Emma meant to kill Sebastian Shaw when she heard Emma's stray thought. She used a suit that the X-Club made for her that cancelled out her intangibility and let her interact with other people. She, along with Emma and Fantomex went to get Sebastian off the island so Emma could not kill him. However, Sebastian broke out of his confinement. As he was about to kill Emma, Kitty removed her suit and stuck her hand into his heart, and threatened to kill him if he didn't let Emma go, but she was not truly able to kill him because she was unable to become solid. He knew that she had lied and continued to attack Emma. Emma then subdued him, wiped his mind and left him there.

When Breakworld refugees came to Earth, led by Kruun and Haleena, they found hospitality on Utopia. Kitty, alongside with Colossus, known by the Breakworlders as the Powerlord, visited the camp to support the refugees.

Kruun, who wanted to win over Colossus, took the intangible Shadowcat hostage using a Breakworld's metal dagger that was able to cut her. After battling Colossus, Kruun tracked down Kitty on Utopia, until she went to the X-Club's X-Lab, where she was killed and revived as a solid by Haleena during a solo mission ritual where she sacrificed herself. She was revived by the same ritual by Kruun, who was strong enough to survive.

When Kuurth attacked San Francisco, the X-Men failed to stop him. Magik used her powers to teleport herself, Colossus, and Kitty Pryde into the Crimson Cosmos and meet with Cytorrak. Illyana told Cyttorak that Cain Marko betrayed him and now served another god. Cytorrak took his power back from Marko and Magik intended to become his new avatar, but Colussus intercepted, becoming the new Juggernaut, much to the displeasure of Kitty Pryde.

Schism

Wolverine had had enough of Scott using kids as soldiers and decided to restart the school and sides were taken. Kitty sided with Logan[14]. Kitty became the headmistress of the Jean Grey School.[15] Her first day involved Bamfs, the Hellfire Club, Krakoa,[15] Sauron, and Wendigo.[16]

Seemingly Pregnant Kitty

Kitty was shocked to find herself seemingly eight months pregnant.[17] It turned out that she wasn't pregnant, but things were much worse: her uterus contained Brood drones. These Broods were trying to kill her. The X-Men shrank down to microscopic size and fought the Brood inside Kitty's body.[18] An infected Kitty was force to fight for her life as the Broods begin their invasion. Later, she was incapacitated by an alien name Starblood, who revealed that Kitty's history with the Brood made her the most effective distraction, and the Brood was about to attack its real target: Broo.[19] Kitty was injected with centaurian penicillin to kill off the remaining Brood inside her.[20]

Kitty eventually left Wolverine's X-Men team and the Jean Grey School because she believed that he didn't trust her. She took the time displaced X-Men with her, and together they joined Cyclops and his X-Men, at the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants.[21] Not too long after, Kitty met the Guardians Of the Galaxy when the young Jean Grey was kidnapped and tried by the Shi'ar for her crimes when her present counterpart had become Phoenix.[22] After the adventure ended, Kitty began a long-distance relationship with Guardians of the Galaxy member Star-Lord.[23]

Black Vortex

Peter Quill proposing to Kitty

After Star-Lord was kidnapped by a group of mercenaries known as the Slaughter Squad during one of their long-distance dates, Kitty stole a Quinjet and flew into space to rescue him.[24] Kitty successfully saved Peter from the Squad's boss, who was revealed to be Star-Lord's father J'son.[25] In order to annoy him, Peter and Kitty decided to steal from him. The item they ended up stealing was the Black Vortex, an incredibly powerful artifact with the ability to enhance a person's powers to cosmic scale. In order to decide what to do with it, they called the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men.[26]

During the conflict that ensued, the Black Vortex ended up in the two cosmically empowered X-Men and a Guadian,[27] the Kree empire[28] and back to J'son.[29] J'son used the Black Vortex on his ally Thane to encase the entire planet Spartax in an amber construct, as part of an alliance with the Brood, to let them have the planet.[30] Once the heroes recovered the Vortex, Kitty Pryde submitted to its power in order to the able to phase the entire planet through its amber carcass and save it. After the dust settled, Kitty not only remained with her cosmic powers, but was also asked by Star-Lord to marry him, and she said yes.[31]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Phasing/Intangibility: Shadowcat possesses the ability to pass through solid matter and objects by passing her atoms through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which she is moving. In this way she and the object through which she was passing could temporarily merge without interacting, and each was unharmed when Shadowcat had finished passing through the object. This process was called "phasing." When Shadowcat was phasing, she was, for all intents and purposes, intangible. Hence, when attacked, she could shift into a "phasing" state (even if she was not at the time passing through an object) so as to allow oncoming projectiles or energy blasts to pass through her harmlessly. Shadowcat passed through objects at the same rate of speed at which she was moving before she "entered" it. Following her serious injuries at the hands of the Marauders during the Mutant Massacre,[32] Kitty's phased state became her natural state.[33][34] She only remains solid by concentrating, and reverts to her phased state if that concentration is disrupted.

Selective Intangibility: Allows others to become intangible and make other objects intangible by making them pass through other massive solid objects easily such as buildings, planes, and trains.

Elemental Intangibility: Allow elemental attacks to pass harmlessly through her such as water, fire, earth, air, energy, electricity, and even lightning.

Physical Disruption: Kitty can easily damage tangible matter by passing right through it.

Air & Water Walking: Using her phasing/intangibility ability, Shadowcat can freely walk on both air and water. In fact, she could use her ability to walk on water and the air from the ground to the upper stories of a building as if she were climbing a staircase.

Phasing/Intangibility Extension: From the first use of her phasing power, Shadowcat was able to phase her clothing along with herself. Through practice she learned to phase other objects along with herself without harm to them, and at one point phased an entire X-Men team. She could also enable someone as big as Colossus to "walk on air" along with her. However, she had to maintain physical contact with the people or objects she phased along with herself for the effect to work with this other person or object.

Camouflage: Kitty can easily blend into the colors of her immediate surroundings and environments, practically making her invisible to anything seen to the naked eye.

Shadow Camouflage: Shadowcat can also become completely invisible and unseen in shadows.

Electronic Disruption: She could phase through any material object, even living people. When she phased through an object with an electrical system, the process disrupted the system's workings.

Telepathic Resistance: Her thoughts were highly erratic when phased as if there was no mind to telepathically affect.

Cloaking: Kitty can hide herself and others from any type of optical eyesight.

Black Vortex Empowerment: After exposure to the power of the Black Vortex, Kitty's cosmic potential was unleashed, vastly improving on all of her previous abilities, now being able to phase through different planes of existence and ascend to a cosmic plane.[31]

Abilities

Expert Martial Artist: Shadowcat possessed moderate expertise of the martial arts of the Japanese ninja and samurai. Shadowcat demonstrated great knowledge of ninja methods of combat when she was mentally possessed by the Ronin Ogun. With the possession over, Shadowcat forgot the knowledge of ninja techniques he gave her, but she retained the knowledge of Japanese martial arts, as well as street-fighting methods taught to her by Wolverine.[37] She also knows Israeli Special Forces Training.[38]

Dance Training: Kitty is trained in ballet and modern dance. She continued to take dance training under the tutelage of Stevie Hunter, and was highly agile.[7]

Genius-level Computer Expert: Shadowcat was an expert in the field of computer science, demonstrating genius-level aptitude for programming, modifying, and diagnosing almost any computer system: even those of unfamiliar human and extraterrestrial origin. She used her skills in many high-stress combat situations to great effect, and in combination with her mutant ability to disrupt electrical systems she was a formidable foe for any enemy relying on advanced technology. She was on par with her former hacking partner Cypher whose mutant gift for languages granted him superhuman skill in the same field (albeit before he was consciously aware of his powers.[39]

Strength level

Weaknesses

Mystical Vulnerability: While phasing Shadowcat was still vulnerable to mystical attack, however.

Phasing Limitations: Since she was unable to breathe while "inside" an object, she could only continuously phase through solid objects (as when she traveled underground) as long as she could hold her breath. Denser materials were more difficult for Kitty to phase through, sometimes causing her pain. Solidifying while in an object could cause serious injury if not death. As it is an active ability, if she can't see an attack coming, she can't phase through it, a fact that the mercenary known as Deadpool once exploited when he knocked her out (taking her by surprise) in order to provoke Wolverine into fighting him for his amusement.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Weapons

Wolverine gave Kitty a broken piece of his bone claws. On certain occasions, she carried it.

Notes

Kitty Pryde is Jewish. Cultural memories of the Holocaust made her especially sensitive to anti-mutant prejudice.

Shadowcat has gone through many costumes along with other aliases. Originally joined as Kitty Pryde and adopted the code name Sprite. Soon after she went through many masks (even roller skates) and ended up with the code name Ariel. She did not go by Shadowcat (originally) until Wolverine trained her while in Japan.

Kitty attended Robert A. Heinlein School for Engineering and Astrophysics in Chicago on a full scholarship.[42][citation needed][43]

Relationships and sexuality

Since her first appearance, she has dated up to four people. From those four, three are named Peter and all of them are much older than her. It was later revealed that even her childhood hamster was named Peter.[44]

Her first relationship was with Piotr "Peter" Rasputin aka Colossus, a guy she met in the Xavier School. After Secret Wars, Colossus broke up with her because of the feelings he had for Zsaji, an alien healer he met during the wars. Much later they went back after Kitty found out Colossus was alive and not dead because of the Legacy virus. The relationship would be short lived because of Kitty's dissapearance after being trapped in a giant bullet, her return as a ghost and ultimately she broke up with him after he became the new Cyttorak's avatar because she realized how Colossus was ready to die at any moment for whatever reason instead of looking forward to live a long life with her.[45] They both remain as friends and are in good terms nowadays although they haven't spoke to each other in a long time.

Under the delusion implanted by Emma Frost, she and Piotr had a son named Michael.[46]

Her second relationship was with Peter "Pete" Wisdom, a British spy who she met while in Excalibur in England. They were together for a time until Kitty joined S.H.I.E.LD. and met an agent for whom she developed some feelings. When Peter found out about this, he broke up with Kitty, despite her admitting it was a mistake and she loved Peter.[47] He never came back to see if the relationship was still alive before Kitty left for America after Excalibur disbanded.[48]

Her third relationship was with Bobby Drake aka Iceman, they both left Utopia to go back to Westchester with Wolverine after the Schism and the first time they got close was during the opening day of the Jean Grey school. The relationship was short and they finally broke up in the aftermath of the Battle of the Atom when Kitty found out that Bobby didn't trust her at all.[21]

In an alternate future, she and Bobby had a son named Carmen. He inherited both Bobby and Kitty's powers.[49]

Her current relationship is with Peter Quill aka Star Lord, the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy whom he met during the Trial of Jean Grey. They started having a long distant relationship since Quill was still in space while Kitty was living on Earth, using hologram technology to interact between each other.[50] They eventually reunited in space and later Kitty decided to stay with Peter there. Not much later Peter proposed marriage to her and she accepted. Making him her first fiancée.[26]

Doop revealed that he had feelings for her and Kitty was disgusted by it at first but grew to like it and even kissed Doop in the lips once.

Trivia

Origin

Kitty Pryde was intended to be a member of an X-Men "in-training" secondary team, alongside a newly created Willie Evans, Jr. and a not yet created and different version of Caliban. Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter nixed the idea, however, saying it sounded too much like the Legion of Substitute X-Men. The Kitty Pryde we know today would go on to be the only one of the three to join the X-Men.[52]

Original character concept by John Byrne, 1978.

John Byrne named Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde after a classmate he met in art school in Calgary in 1973.[53]

Cultural references

Music

Kitty Pryde is mentioned in the Weezer song "In the Garage":

I've got the Dungeon Master's Guide

I've got a twelve-sided die

I've got Kitty Pryde

And Nightcrawler too

Waiting there for me

Yes I do, I do

Shadowcat is also mentioned in the song "Missing Link" by Dinosaur Jr and Del the Funky Homosapien from the soundtrack for the movie Judgment Night: "Bowing, praising, now when I phase in, like Kitty Pryde, city wide, confer to kick the rumor..."

Kitty Pryde and the Shadowcats was the name of an all-female band that existed for several years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Kitty Pryde is mentioned in the ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead song, "An Ounce Of Prevention".

Cinema

In the Spike Lee's film 25th Hour, Edward Norton's character expresses his desire to avoid prison by stating he wishes he was "that girl from X-Men... the one who can walk through walls"

Joss Whedon has stated many times that Kitty was one of the major inspirations for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as she appeared in the TV series.